Questions tagged [firefly]
Use this tag for questions about "Firefly", an American space western television series (2002) created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The series is set in the year 2517, after the arrival of humans in a new star system, and follows the adventures of the renegade crew and passengers aboard 'Serenity', a Firefly-class spaceship. Also use this tag for tie-in comic series, but not the film 'Serenity'.
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Do Reavers have a multi-generational society?
I read that in the core worlds, the Reavers from Firefly/Serenity are legendary (campfire tales or something), so it sounds like they have been around for a long time.
They must get killed frequently ...
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How did Mal afford the Serenity?
We see Mal smitten with the Serenity in "Out of Gas". Clearly he has an eye for her, even as the used spaceship salesman tries to get him to buy a newer and marginally less crappy-looking ...
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Voluntarily entering a prison in the Firefly Universe
In episode five "Safe" of Firefly there's a flashback of Simon's father bailing him out of prison after his first, failed attempt to rescue River. In this scene his father says
"I just ...
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How was this shot of River Tam on the ceiling managed in Serenity?
There's a scene in the Firefly film Serenity where we see River Tam clinging to the ceiling like a giant lizard:
Over on the Outdoors Stack Exchange, there's some discussion, in ChrisH's answer and ...
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Does Serenity have a ship prefix?
In Firefly, Allied ships have the prefix IAV, but is there a similar prefix (like MV or SS) for merchant space ships like Serenity?
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What's the significance of the bounty hunter being named Jubal Early?
The last TV episode of Firefly, "Objects in Space", features a bounty hunter named Jubal Early who boards the Serenity with the intent of kidnapping River and claiming the bounty on her head....
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Was Ron Glass's role in Firefly inspired by his role in Voyager?
I noticed that Ron Glass (and respectfully RIP Mr Glass) from Firefly (playing Shepherd Book) also played the same type of character (Loken) on Star Trek Voyager Season 7, 2 years earlier in the ...
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Is there any canonical AI in the 'Verse?
In Joss Whedon's Firefly universe, is there any evidence of artificial intelligence, regardless of how advanced?
In particular, I'm wondering if creating a basic autopilot AI for an asset in the ...
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Serenity: "Which, she would be sleepy" -- why this line?
I have never understood this line. Why did Mr. Universe say this? Is it just some goofy thing or does he mean, perhaps, that after the huge fight, she would be tired?
EDIT: Maybe it is just the ...
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How did Jayne know when to shoot?
In the first, double-length episode "Serenity" of Firefly (not to be confused with the film Serenity), Mal and his crew attempt to cut a deal with the dodgy Patience. Before their meeting, Mal sends ...
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Why was Mal so quick to drop Bester in favour of Kaylee?
The episode "Out of Gas" tells of the recruitment of Serenity's crew via a series of flashbacks. Kaylee's roundabout route is shown;
The next two to join the crew are Hoban Washburne, an ...
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What does Niska's skyplex do?
In Firefly episodes 2 (The Train Job) and 10 (War Stories), we see the villian Adelai Niska in his space station (which multiple characters call a "skyplex").
It looks like it rotates around a ...
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What did River say when she woke from her proto-comatose state?
In Firefly Episode 9, Ariel, River and Simon take a drug that puts them in a proto-comatose state.
Around 17:30, River wakes up, says something, and startles Jayne. Jayne responds "What did you say?"...
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How did the horses get to space?
In Firefly, a space western, they use horses on planets in space that are definitely not Earth.
Is there any canon explanation as to when the horses got sent through space, how they are transported, ...
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What is Niska's accent?
Mr Niska is a 'recurring' (stars in 2 of 14 episodes) antagonist in Firefly, an old man with a mini empire and a penchant for torture. He's very creepy and has a very distinctive accent, which I ...
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Do the Reavers have any sort of hierarchy?
All descriptions of Reavers seem to be these monsters that have no regard for anything but themselves. However, in some episodes (and the movie Serenity) they hunt together and almost seem tribal (e.g....
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In universe, why do we see almost no Chinese people in Firefly?
Firefly takes place in a universe where Chinese and American cultures have fused, as evidenced by Chinese signage, and the frequent use of spoken Chinese in the series. Yet, for a universe that's ...
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Who served as an inspiration for the character of Saffron?
The character Saffron appeared first in the sixth episode, Our Mrs. Reynolds and made quite an impression on the captain and crew of Firefly.
Was she Whedon's spin on the classic femme fatale trope, ...
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Why does Mal hide his identity for one Alliance encounter, but not another?
In Episode 3: Bushwacked, Mal freely admits to his identity as Malcom Reynolds, former browncoat Sergeant. His crew and passengers also freely admit to their identities.
Later, in Episode 5: Safe, ...
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Why did the details of River's rescue change for the movie Serenity?
In the Firefly tv show, we first meet River when she comes out of "cryo". Simon explains that he funded a "group of men" who had offered to sneak her out of captivity by putting her in that cryo state....
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How can Firefly Reavers be "smart" enough to drive spaceships? Why their radio conversations sound like some EVF directlly drawn from hell?
How can Firefly Reavers be "smart" enough to drive spaceships? Why, then does their radio conversations sound like some EVP directly drawn from hell?
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What was the name of Monty's ship on Firefly?
In the TV show Firefly, Actor Franc Ross plays the part of Monty. He has a crew and a ship but they are unnamed in the show or credits. Does anyone know the ships name? Does anyone have info on the ...
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Are there any other Star Wars references in Firefly?
According to this article on mental floss, there are Star Wars easter eggs in the series Firefly.
Star Wars was a big influence on Whedon. Captain Malcolm Reynolds somewhat resembles Han Solo, while ...
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What is Inara's backstory?
It's hinted at a few times in Firefly that Inara, like most of the crew, has an interesting past. Most notably, see the following conversation between Mal and Nandi in episode 13, "Heart of Gold":
...
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How does Serenity's main engine work?
The side engines seem to be regular atmospheric jet engines (at least they have that sort of intake), but is there any statement in any of the side material (RPG, comics, etc.) what the main "firefly ...
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What is the status of Earth in Firefly? [duplicate]
Serenity makes it clear that colonists left Earth due to overpopulation and resource deficiency. And it's referred to as Earth-that-was. But do we have any indication that Earth is actually ...
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Did Mal intentionally leave Jayne with the Tams in Ariel?
In Episode 9, Ariel, Mal and Zoe steal the medicine and Jayne guards Simon and River as they sneak into the hospital. Previously Jayne had expressed some disgust at River staying on Serenity, since ...
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Why does Mal change his mind?
In the episode Safe, Mal comes back to rescue Simon.
SIMON Captain... why did you come back for us?
MAL You're on my crew.
SIMON Yeah, but you don't even like me. (beat) Why'd you come ...
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How do revolvers in the 'verse work?
I was re-watching Heart of Gold and noticed that when Wash and Kaylee were on the ship and Wash was giving Kaylee cover-fire to be able to move he fired off many more than 6 shots. However, in War ...
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What canon information exists on the inspiration for the Companions in Firefly?
In answering this question, I found out about the oiran, a class of high-status courtesans in 17th-18th century Japan. Some of the description of these people sounds very similar to the Companions who ...
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Why did companions have such high social standing?
I've been watching Firefly. While I've been enjoying the show, the one thing I haven't been able to quite figure out is why companions have such high social standing. They are admittedly quite "posh", ...
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Chinese in Serenity?
One of the things that makes the world of the Firefly TV series distinctive is the intermingling of English-speaking and Chinese cultures. All of Serenity's crew appear to be fluent in both English ...
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Was Jayne from Canton?
The song "The Hero of Canton" contains the following lines:
He saw the Mudders' lament
And he saw the magistrate taking
Every dollar and leaving five cents
So he said, "You can't do that to ...
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How many crew members of the Serenity actually read Chinese?
In a previous question it was asked how many of the crew spoke Mandarin. But how many actually read Chinese as it was used in almost all broadcasts and navigational displays?
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What was the body count in River's bar fight scene?
In one of River Tam's incredibly choreographed fight scenes, she takes on a bar full of bad-asses and leaves them all biting the dust. Has anyone ever done a body count (apart from Jayne)? Did she ...
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Did Jayne help Dobson at first?
In Firefly episode 1, Serenity, Mal gives Jayne the job of questioning the captured federal agent Dobson, who tries to persuade Jayne to turn his coat:
DOBSON: You kill me, there's nothing. But if ...
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How common is fresh produce in the world of Firefly?
In the pilot of Firefly, Book uses fresh strawberries as part of his transport payment.
The "Mighty fine shindig" has unadorned fresh fruit, showing that it was considered fancy by itself, though ...
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What is "fluffy" in Serenity?
In the Firefly series Joss Whedon often used linguistic devices such as Mandarin Chinese signs, curses, and other assorted phrases to indicate a removal in time and space.
To further this, he also ...
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Why did the Hands of Blue use a "sonic device" to kill people?
While the use of that weapon does a good job establishing these are seriously evil people, it seems to have nothing but disadvantages compared to something mundane like a silenced pistol:
The victims ...
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Are all of the Reavers and Alliance destroyed in the final battle in Serenity?
In the Firefly movie "Serenity", at the final battle, the Serenity flies through Reaver territory, drawing them into a battle with the Alliance.
Were all of the Reavers in that battle destroyed? ...
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Which property features the most Firefly actors?
The actors in Firefly have since appeared in numerous other sci-fi tv shows and movies.
Which show/movie has the most Firefly actors? Does any property have all of the main cast members?
Note: The ...
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What happened to the Lassiter?
In Trash, the crew steals a very valuable, antique laser pistol known as the Lassiter.
In The Message, Mal mentions that he's having difficulty selling it.
MAL:
It's like something out of a ...
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Is Monty's last name actually Reynolds?
I was looking at IMDB today, and to my surprise, Monty's last name was listed as "Reynolds."
No other websites I could find gave him any last name. It would be very strange if he had the same last ...
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Why is there so little merchandise with the Serenity logo? [closed]
This logo seems great for T-shirts and the like. But I've only seen it a few times, in places that rapidly go out of stock, which makes me think it's not an official thing. Why, when there are so many ...
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How did the mudders get Jayne's name and likeness?
In the Firefly episode Jaynestown, the crew comes across a town that worships Jayne as a folkhero to the point of building a statue of him. The likeness isn't perfect, but it clearly emulates Jayne ...
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Do they really watch Firefly on the International Space Station
I saw this photo online:
I was wondering if this photo is legit, or some Photoshop by Firefly fans. If it is legitimate, why do they have a copy of Firefly and Serenity on board the International ...
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What does the line "Take me where I cannot stand" mean?
From Firefly's theme song:
Take my love, take my land
Take me where I cannot stand
I don't care, I'm still free
You can't take the sky from me.
Everything's meaning seems pretty obvious, ...
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Why did Henry Evans continue to go by Derrial Book?
In Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale, we learn that
However, he continues to go by Book even after
It seems odd that he would continue to go by a stolen name after finding religion. Is there anything to ...
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Why is Shepherd Book crushing a snake on the cover of Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale?
Have any of the writers or artists stated why Shepherd Book is stepping on a snake on the cover of Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale? There is no snake in the graphic novel. Is it a allusion to Book ...
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Why didn't the costume designer know the purpose of Zoe's necklace?
From the wikia:
In the DVD commentary for the episode "Shindig," costume designer Shawna Trpcic mentions that the leather necklace Zoë always wears is a symbol of her marriage bond. However, she is ...
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